Microsoft's Head of M&A Leaving

Earlier this week, Microsoft quietly announced that the head of its merger and acquisitions strategy, Vice President of Corporate Development Bruce Jaffe, is leaving the company.

Jaffe will retire on Feb. 29, according to a company spokesperson.

"During Bruce's two-year tenure in this particular role, we did nearly 50 deals including aQuantive, Tellme and the Facebook investment," the spokesperson said in a comment e-mailed to this site. "Bruce's contribution to Microsoft's growth is much appreciated and we wish him well in his next endeavor."

Microsoft did not comment on the reasons behind his retirement, and Jaffe did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment on his departure and his future plans by press time.

According to Jaffe's bio on the Microsoft site, he joined the company in 1995 in the corporate strategy group, where he helped provide strategic and economic analysis for different business units. He was promoted to Microsoft Corporate Development general manager in 2000.

The company did not say what role, if any, Jaffe played in its first big acquisition of 2008: the $1.2 billion deal for Oslo-based Fast Search & Transfer, announced Tuesday.

This is the second high-profile departure for Microsoft this week; today Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft Business Division, announced his retirement